Post-cap.



0. K. ERNST.

POST GAP.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 15. 1910.

1,013,004. Patented Dec. 26, 1911.

Mzn 66566. Im/J/z 2%1.

Al'wwtl 3552272692 PATENT OFFIQE.

CHARLES K. ERNST, 0F BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

POST-CAP.

Specification of Letters Fatent.

Patented Dec. 26, 1911.

Application filed June 15, 1910. Serial No. 566,916.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES K. ERNST, a citizen of the United States, residing at Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Post-Caps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to post caps which are used in building construction for supporting posts and horizontal beams and girders from the heads of upright posts.

The object of this invention is to provide a post cap of simple and eflicient construction which can be cheaply manufactured and which will possess ample strength for sustaining the posts and girders which rest thereon and retaining its position on the post and will 'form a strong and rigid support for the weight which is carried by 1t.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of the blank from which the socket or base portion of a post cap embodying the invention is formed. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the blank with the oppositely extending flanges formed therein. Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the socket or base portion of the post cap. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal sectional elevation of the post cap. Fig. 5 is a cross section thereof in line 5-5, Fig. 4:. Fig. 6 is a perspective view thereof in position upon a post.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the several figures.

The post cap comprises a socket or base portion A which is adapted to fit over and be supported by the upper end of the post, and a seat or supporting portion B which is secured to the base portion and forms a support for the upright and horizontal members. The socket portion is of suitable size and shape to embrace the end of the post, being usually rectangular, as shown. On opposite sides thereof, at its upper end, it is provided with outwardly .extending end flanges O G which act as supports for the opposite ends of the seat portion 13. The opposite intermediate sides of the socket are provided with flanges D D which extend inwardly toward each other from the upper ledges thereof and are adapted to overlap the upper end of the post and rest thereon. Each end flange C is provided with a brace c which extends from the lower portion of the socket to the outer portion of the flange and is preferably formed integrally with the socket and flange. These braces add greatly to the strength and rigidity of the end flanges, and by forming them integrally with the flange and socket, their cost is considerably reduced while at the same time the construction is rendered much stiifer and stronger than where separate braces are used. If desired, however, separate braces for these end flanges may be employed which can be suitably riveted or otherwise secured at their ends to the socket and the flanges.

The socket portion A. with its flanges may be made in any suitable manner. In the construction shown, it is formed from a single rectangular blank of sheet metal such as that shown in Fig. 1, which is provided along one edge with a series of cuts or incisions F for separating the parts thereof which are to form the flanges G and D. The blank is placed in a suitable die press which bends over the side and end flanges to their laterally extending positions and at the same time forms therein the brace portions 0 cfor the end flanges, as shown in Fig. 2. The blank is then bent to rectangular form, the adjoining ends being secured together by an angle iron connection G to which they are riveted, or by any other suitable connecting means.

The seat B may be of any suitable shape for receiving the upright and horizontal members which it is designed to support. In the construction shown, it extends across the socket A with its opposite ends resting upon the end flanges C C and its central portion resting upon the flanges D D. The bottom of the seat is secured to the flanges C C and D D by rivets b b, or in another suitable manner, and its upright side walls are preferably provided with suitable holes b for the reception of bolts which may be used for securing to the seat the upright and horizontal members which rest upon it.

The inturned flanges D D, which lie between the bottom of the seat and the top of the post, serve to hold the socket in position on the post and the greater the weight carried by the seat, the more firmly are these flanges held in place and prevented from bending or shifting their position on the top of the post. The socket is thus held rigid on the post and the supporting strength of the socket and its end flanges is greatly increased.

The socket has no side flanges or other parts which extend above the bottom of the seat and the seat can accordingly project The socket and seat over the sides and ends of the socket and be made of any suitable length and width to accommodate the members which it is to carry. Seats of different sizes can thus be used with sockets of any size and this makes it possible to construct from a few standard sizes of sockets and seats, post caps having a wide range of variation in the relative sizes of these parts. This obviates the necessity of manufacturing and keeping in stock a large number of different and special sizes of caps to meet the requirements of the trade. portions of the cap can be easily and cheaply manufactured and assembled and their construction is such that when secured together they form a post cap of exceptional strength and rigidity which will retain its position on the post under very heavy weights and severe strains.

I claim as my invention:

1. A post cap comprising a socket portion having side and end walls which are adapted to embrace the end of a post and a seat portion which rests upon and is secured to said socket portion, said side Walls having inwardly extending flanges which are adapted to engage the end of the post and lie between said end walls, and said end walls having supporting flanges extending outwardly from the upper edges thereof, said inwardly and outwardly extending flanges lying in substantially the same plane and forming a flat surface upon which the bottom of the seat portion rests, substantially as set forth.

2. A post cap comprising a socket portion which is adapted to fit over the end of a post, and a seat portion which rests upon and is secured to said socket portion, said socket portion having inwardly extending parts which are adapted to engage the end of the post beneath said seat, and outwardly extending flanges which support the ends of said seat and are provided with braces which are integral with said flanges and said socket, substantially as set forth.

3. A post cap comprising a socket portion which is adapted to fit over the end of a post, and a seat portion which rests upon and is secured to said socket portion, said socket portion consisting of a single metal blank which is bent to embrace the end of the post and has integral outwardly-extending flanges which support the ends of said seat portion, substantially as set forth.

4. A post cap comprising a socket portion which is adapted to fit over the end of a post, and a seat portion which rests upon and is secured to said socket portion, said socket portion consisting of a single metal blank which is bent to embrace the end of the post and has integral outwardly-extending flanges which support the ends of said seat portion and inwardly-extending flanges which are adapted to engage the top of the post beneath said seat, substantially as set forth.

5. A post cap comprising a socket portion which is adapted to fit over the end of a post and a seat portion which rests upon and is secured to said socket portion, said socket portion consisting of a single metal blank which is bent to embrace the end of the post and has integral inwardly-extending flanges which are adapted to engage the top of the post beneath said seat, substantially as set forth.

6. A post cap comprising a socket portion having side and end walls which are adapted to embrace the end of a post and a seat portion which rests upon and is secured to said socket portion, the opposite end walls of said socket portion having outwardly extending flanges which support the ends of said seat port-ion and are provided with braces which are integral wit-h said flanges and said walls, substantially as set forth.

7. A post cap comprising a socket portion which is adapted to fit over the end of a post, and a seat portion which rests upon and is secured to said socket portion, said socket portion consisting of a single metal blank which is bent to embrace the end of the post and has integral outwardly-extending flanges which support the ends of said seat portion and are provided with braces which are integral with said flanges and said socket, substantially as set forth.

l/Vitness my hand, this 6th 1910.

CHARLES K. ERNST.

WVitnesses:

E. C. HARD, C. B. HORNBEOK.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

day of June, 

